Alexandre Aja's Haute Tension tells the tale of two university students Marie (Cecile De France) and Alex (Maiwenn) who, with exams approaching, decide to retreat to Alexs family home in the country for some peace and quiet to revise. This peace however is shattered as on their first night in the house a crazed killer comes calling. After disposing of Alexs family the intruder, unaware of Maries presence in the house, ties up Alex and bundles her into his waiting van. Desperately trying to free Alex, Marie ends up locked in the van with her and the intruder drives off with both girls trapped in the back. This begins a white knuckle ride as the two girls try frantically to escape the clutches of the unhinged killer.
Marking a return to the raw intensity of 1970's horror classics such as 'The Last House in the Left' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', director Aja's Haute Tension strips back to the bare essentials, building a narrative of growing dread and relentlessly tightening the screws of suspense. Cecile De France's portrayal of Marie is a revelation in what was surely a very demanding role, both physically and mentally.
On the downside however I found there to be too many holes in the story and the twist at the end just didn't do it for me. This, along with the notion that the plot was "borrowed" from Dean R Koontz's novel 'Intensity', tarnished this film slightly for me.
With Monsieur Aja now directing in the US, his remake of 'The Hills have Eyes' is definitely worth checking out, this earlier directorial outing, while it does have its bad points, is still an enjoyable roller coaster of a film, and not a bad way to spend a stormy evening in.
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